1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pin insertion members used in inserting guide pins into pin holes of optical fiber connectors.
2. Description of the Related Art
In butt-connecting optical fiber connectors, such as multifiber connectors, a multifiber connector 1 shown in FIG. 40, for example, is used in order to stabilize the connecting properties and reduce connection losses.
In the multifiber connector 1, a plurality of optical fibers 3a, which constitute a ribbonfiber 3, are inserted in and bonded to a plurality of fiber holes which are bored through a ferrule 2. The respective end faces of the fibers 3a which are exposed to a butting end face 2a are polished together with the end face 2a by micro-lapping or the like. Also, the ferrule 2 is formed with a pair of pin holes 2b on either side with respect to the crosswise direction.
The multifiber connector 1 constructed in this manner is butt-connected to another one in a manner such that a pair of guide pins (not shown) are inserted individually into the pin holes 2b. In doing this, the guide pins are also inserted into the pin holes 2b of the second multifiber connector 1, so that the two optical fiber connectors are positioned with respect to each other.
Usually, the operation for butting the optical fiber connectors is carried out on the scene of construction where existing optical fiber cables are laid, that is, in a narrow, dark space such as a manhole, and includes handling minute guide pins as short as several millimeters, so that the operating efficiency is poor. Moreover, the guide pins are liable to be lost, and their insertion into the pin holes takes much time. In the case where a plurality of optical fiber connectors are stacked in layers or arranged crosswise, in particular, the insertion of the connectors into the pin holes is an extremely troublesome task.